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Monday, 29 February 2016

Bubba Bowl 2016

Bubba Bowl 2016. Over a week ago now. Need to get back into the habit of writing these up sooner. At least I have notes, albeit minimal - and I did take some photos!

There were plenty of new people there, and many more I've only seen maybe once or twice before and, whilst I love seeing my friends, it's always great to meet new members of the community.

There was a 'High Elf' challenge being undertaken by members of the Bubba League because (at least in our local tournament circuit) they're rarely seen as a team. So they got a ridiculous glittery baton and a crown, and the highest placed High Elf at the start of each round had to wear/hold this for their next round, with it being awarded to the highest placed High Elf coach at the end of the day. I was unaware of this, and took Strictly Come Wardancing (the Wood Elf line up that saw me to second place at Cake in 2014) because Husbit wanted to take Halflings. Bubba has higher points available but fewer skills, so I bought an actual reroll (and felt dirty), meaning I didn't need to take leader. No doubles skills allowed unless you're stunty, so I took tackle instead of guard on one wardancer, and strip ball as usual on the other, leaving two line elves to pick up dodge.

Game 1, vs Cornish with Goblins

Exciting match up for me; less exciting for him, and exarcebated by the fact that I'm a much more experienced player than he. Oh, and 2 blitzes falling in my favour, with a dead chainsaw after the first...He did, at least, win fame and kick off, but it didn't help him much. Even with Jordell KO'd for most of the first half, I managed to get the ball off him and score leaving him one turn to equalise. I'd also, by luck rather than judgement, got him down to 11 players so, whilst his fanatic succeeded in using his only bribe, it had to play and wouldn't be on the pitch for the second half.

The second blitz, where Jordell caught the ball in his half...

Ripper ran in, but it took a goblin to knock Jordell down... so another elf had to retrieve the ball for that score.

One of his trolls choosing a crucial moment to double skull helped, as did my line elf managing to pick up a ball in 4 tackle zones...

As I said, he was an inexperienced player and that definitely helped me. He'd started the game mentioning he was worried he'd forget he'd given the fanatic grab and that the trolls, with really stupid, needed babysitters, so I did my best to remember to remind him, and the highlight of the game, for me, was actually that he didn't hate the game despite it being very one-sided. We played more slowly than I'm used to, but this didn't make me tetchy like it can because he used that time to be social and friendly, and he noticed me trying to make the game fun for him even as I thrashed him, and thanked me for it, and that really made my day.

Final score: TD 4-0, CAS 2-3 (although the crowd and a failed dodge killed another 2 of his goblins).

Game 2, vs Nightwing with High Elves

Nightwing was highest placed High Elf at this point. See the pretty sceptre!

He'd taken Eldril Sidewinder and Soaren Hightower: I've faced Eldril before so gunned for him, even risking sending off as I fouled him with line elves, and the crowd were on my side as they ripped him to pieces for me. In response, he fouled Jordell to death at the end of the first half, which ended 2-0 to me after a bit of bad luck prevented my third TD (and left Jordell on the floor for that aforementioned foul). He pulled it back in the second half, so turn 16 was poised, two all. He considered a quick blitz but instead lined his guys up to increase the number of dice I'd need to roll. Ball with a wardancer, who needed her built-in reroll for dodging through tackle zones so I switched to leap and failed, leaving us on a draw.

Final score: TD 2-2, CAS 1-0 (and the crowd killed Eldril, and he killed my Jordell on a foul)

Game 3, vs Hobnail with Skaven

I faced Hobnail before and we were trying to remember the match up - he thought it was an Amazon off as we both had Roxanna, but I think I had Dark Elves. He comfortably thrashed me by being the better player, but I've learnt a lot since then and was pretty sure I could give him more of a challenge, although I still hate facing skaven.

The game started off well, with me winning kick off and electing to receive. Scooped up the ball and went to throw it to Jordell, but my thrower wasn't happy - her pass skill turned from fumble to inaccurate and it flew off the pitch. Did I say it started well? I meant badly!

Photo courtesy of Hobnail, right after the ball landed at his feet.

The scatter landed the ball at the feet of his gutter runners, who proceeded to scoop it up and run to the opposite side of the pitch. Strip ball got it loose, but it had taken all my effort to achieve that and I couldn't grab it up. Fortunately for me, he decided to start his next turn with an easy block with the rat ogre. Who double both downed. And died. This made it a lot easier to retrieve the ball, and a few more dead rats meant it became a lot easier for me to control the pitch. Luck was on my side for sure (another blitz helped), but I definitely played better than the previous time we faced each other.

Final score: TD 3-0, CAS 3-4 (and a failed skaven dodge) - and I'm in the lead for most TD, which I still haven't achieved, with 9. Several people on 7 or 8, though, so I need to fight in my next match...

Game 4, vs 20phoenix with Skaven

More Skaven! I was feeling a bit more confident about such a match after my previous game and I managed to score quickly, but this turned out to be hubris: the pride before a fallas elves fell left, right and centre.

It wasn't pretty

I started the second half with 2 line elves and all 3 wardancers on the pitch, which gave me a false hope of maybe at least a draw, but my lack of players meant I was taking risks and managed to kill or at least KO more. He was also a slow player of the non-chatty kind, which is a good way of making me lose concentration and take more risks.

This was my first game against a wizard, and whilst it vexed me intensely that I couldn't break his armour yet he was killing all my players seemingly at a glance, he did play well and as he needed to: if the dice had been more even, I like to think I might have won because Strictly Come Wardancing is a powerful team, but I couldn't say for sure. I'll admit, however, that it took him noticing how miserable I was feeling and apologising for something beyond his control - the dice - before I started enjoying the game again! Which makes me feel petty, but the feeling interested me too, because we do this, apologise for the dice, and I've always felt silly for doing it when it's been me to my opponent, but it really did make me feel better so maybe I should feel less silly about it next time.

Final score: TD 1-2 (farewell, most TD), CAS 0-5 (ouch) (and Jordell died on a foul, and 2 elves died on dodges, and the rest were KO'd - I think I had one, maybe 2 players on the pitch when he finally scored his second TD).

Final placings:

Well, I didn't get most TD, and actually would have been hard-pressed to get it even if I'd beaten 20phoenix, as SFisher came from behind to take it with 13 TD, having scored an impressive 6 in his final game. I came 8th of 34, Husbit (Lunchmoney) came somewhere near the bottom, 20phoenix came second, but the overall winner and winner of the High Elf challenge was NAF president, Sann0638.

Happy Blood Bowl everyone! My next tournament is probably Crumb, but I'll try to write up a few more from last year before then (if I can find my notes).